Thomas Luthi: Return of the champion

Thomas Luthi: Return of the champion

After a disastrous start to his 2006 season, World Champion Thomas Luthi stepped up to the podium for the first time this year in Le Mans. The Swiss rider was victorious in a damp 125cc race, after a heartbreaking finale for Alvaro Bautista.

After Mika Kallio took the holeshot, a group of four riders took charge at the head of the pack. Kallio, Bautista, Luthi and Fabrizio Lai broke free, with Lukas Pesek and Mike di Meglio falling by the wayside.
Luthi took the win on the last lap, when Bautista waved him through after suffering a mechanical problem. Kallio and Lai also took advantage of the championship leader's misfortune to complete the podium positions, whilst Bautista limped across the line fourth.
Pablo Nieto appeared seemingly from nowhere to finish fifth, whilst the top ten positions were made up by Raffaele de Rosa, Joan Olive, Sergio Gadea, Andrea Iannone and Simone Corsi.